FBI: North Korea commits cyber crimes with cryptocurrencies in response to sanctions

During a conference organized by the American think tank Aspen Institute, Tonya Ugoretz from the American FBI’s cyber division told that US sanctions against North Korea have pushed the country to commit cyber crimes, the Korean news site Korea Herald reports.

North Korea, which is considered one of the world’s most closed states, is suspected of being behind several thefts and extortion attempts (so-called ransomware) in which cryptocurrencies have been involved.

For example, it can be global attacks against crypto exchanges in South Korea or nearby countries.

“Sanctions are having an economic impact, so cyber operations are a means to make money, whether it’s through cryptocurrency mining or bank theft”, Tonya Ugoretz said at the conference, according to Korea Herald.

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